I am always teasing the therapists at my clinic that we need to keep our balance of testosterone and estrogen. But the truth is that testosterone is a missing link in examining the health of women as they age. Testosterone tends to decrease as women approach menopause and may explain why so many women experience a nosedive in their libido, their muscle strength, their muscle tone and brain fog like 1890 London.
Ovaries also produce testosterone along with the typical female hormones that we think of. Simply focusing on estrogen and progesterone may entirely miss the issue. In younger women many oral contraceptives can suppress testosterone because they suppress all sex hormones. In fact, high testosterone is often the result of PCOS, or polycystic ovary syndrome creating symptoms such as irregular periods, male-pattern baldness, a deepening voice and excess body hair.

According to the National Institutes of Health total female testosterone levels should be anywhere from 30 to 95 nanograms per decaliter of blood. Paying attention to testosterone can really make the difference in women sliding into menopause. Tribulus is the natural solution, providing natural testosterone precursors. Sourced from Bulgaria (and appropriately expensive), this is the secret of Bulgarian weightlifters, and as such, the greatest option for women!

Along with Tribulus, there are a number of things that you can do that will increase your testosterone levels naturally:
1) Lose weight - this will naturally balance out all your hormones.
2) Short high intensity exercise - this has proven to really keep testosterone levels up, just like intermittent fasting. Short bursts of high intensity exercise really turn on the hormones.
3) Eat lots of zinc - find all the foods that contain zinc and load up for higher testosterone levels.
4) Strength training - higher weight, lower reps ... the slower the better.
5) Keep up the vitamin D - essential for libido and testosterone.
6) Reduce stress - high levels of cortisol released when under stress will block the effects of testosterone.
7) Limit sugar in the diet - testosterone levels decrease with sugar consumption, possibly because of a surge in insulin.
8) Eat healthy essential fats - essential fats are the building blocks of hormones, so to keep your production up as you age, you need to have enough healthy fat in your diet.
9) The more you use your body, the more protein you need to take in - try Protefood to keep your protein levels up. It is a capsule of raw, organic heat-labile amino acids, the ones that are degraded in cooked food - just what you need to keep on track.

So don't forget to include testosterone in your menopausal discourse. After all, enjoying life is just as important after 50 as before!